Bringing Science Solutions to the World
From the infinite scale of the universe to the infinitesimal scale of subatomic particles, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory – Berkeley Lab – are advancing the scope of human knowledge and seeking science solutions to some of the greatest problems facing humankind. Scientific excellence and an unparalleled record of achievement have been the hallmarks of this Laboratory since it was founded in 1931.
Fourteen Nobel Prizes are associated with Berkeley Lab. Eighty Lab scientists are members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors for a scientist in the United States. Fifteen of our scientists have won the National Medal of Science, our nation’s highest award for lifetime achievement in fields of scientific research, and one (Arthur Rosenfeld) has received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. In addition, Berkeley Lab has trained tens of thousands of university science and engineering students who are advancing technological innovations across the nation and around the world.
Located on a 202-acre site in the hills above the UC Berkeley campus with spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay, Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram science lab in the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Science. It is managed by the University of California and is charged with conducting unclassified research across a wide range of scientific disciplines. Technologies developed at Berkeley Lab have generated billions of dollars in revenues and thousands of jobs. Savings as a result of Berkeley Lab developments in energy-efficient technologies – from cool roofs to window coatings to appliances – have also been in the billions of dollars.
Berkeley Lab was founded by Ernest Orlando Lawrence, a UC Berkeley physicist who won the 1939 Nobel Prize in physics for his invention of the cyclotron, a circular particle accelerator that opened the door to high-energy physics. It was Lawrence’s belief that scientific research is best done through teams of individuals with different fields of expertise, working together. His “team science” concept is a Berkeley Lab legacy; today, a deep commitment to inclusion and diversity brings perspectives that inspire innovative solutions.
Mission
- Solve the most pressing and profound scientific problems facing mankind
- Conduct basic research for a secure energy future
- Understand living systems to improve the environment, health, and energy supply
- Understand matter and energy in the universe
- Build and safely operate leading scientific facilities for the nation
- Train the next generation of scientists and engineers
At a Glance (FY 2020)
- 14 Nobel Prizes
- 3,565 FTE
- 1,702 scientists and engineers
- 242 joint faculty
- 520 postdoctoral scholars
- 354 graduate students
- 164 undergraduate students
- 13,775 Facility users
- 1,728 visiting scientists and engineers
Economic & Innovation Impact
- FY 2019 total Lab operating costs: $946 million
- FY 2019 procurement: $464 million
- FY 2019 procurement to California businesses: $216 million
- FY 2019 contracts to small businesses: $177 million
- Disclosed inventions and software in FY 2019: 181
- IP licenses for software and inventions from FY10-FY19: 1706
- Startups based on Berkeley Lab technology: 58 (through FY19); 60 (through FY20)
- U.S. patents issued in last 10 years (FY10-FY19): 516
- Active/ongoing Industry User Agreements in FY 2019: 366
Core Capabilities
- National User Facilities
- Basic research in energy
- Biological and environmental sciences
- Computing and mathematics
- High energy and nuclear physics
- Accelerator science and technology
- Applied science and energy technology
Useful Links
- Berkeley Lab Foundation
- Downloadable fact sheets
- Welcome to the Lab
- 35 Breakthroughs
- 10 on the Way
- Nobel Winners
- National User Facilities at Berkeley Lab
- Climate Prediction
- Fuels from Sunlight (JCAP)
- Leading the Charge for Better Batteries
- Advanced Scientific Computing for Discovery
- Fortifying Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Saving Billions
- Why We Do Windows